I am new here

[hdm]

Good morning everyone. I have just joined this forum, and look forward to getting to know everyone.

We run a mailing house in London. We are currently promoting handwritten direct mail in the UK, before handwriting becomes a lost art.

[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum. Feel free to share a little more about yourself and your business.

Handwriting? I have a vague recollection of this thing called handwriting, but I can't quite place it. Ok, I admit. I still like writing with pen and paper. It's a different experience than banging away at the keyboard.

Looking forward to getting to know you and thanks for joining the community.

[hdm]

Good morning vangogh

Thank you for your warm welcome.

Yes, it would be wonderful to see "handwritten" direct mail take off in the UK. It appears to be popular in America. There is something about a handwritten letter that compels you to read it. It is a good marketing tool for anyone, even if just used to draw the recipient to visit the sender's website.

[vangogh]

Glad to provide the welcome.

It's true. You see a handwritten envelope in the mail and you're much more likely to open it even if you think it's junk. The handwritten element makes it seem personal and it's harder to resist.

I'm surprised it's not used that much in the UK. Is there a specific reason or is it simply something that hasn't caught on yet?

[hdm]

We purchase the custom handwriting fonts from a US supplier, as we could not find one here in the UK.

[vangogh]

Isn't there some irony there? Purchasing a computer generated font for handwritten mail? Obviously it would be impossible to actually write all that mail by hand so I understand the need to purchase the font. I guess something in that strikes me as funny.

I still find it interesting that you have to come to the US for this. I'm surprised the UK hasn't adopted the practice more since it's been around here for quite some time. Then again that's good news for you since you have the opportunity to be an early leader.

[cbscreative]

Welcome aboard. I also find it ironic for a "handwritten" piece to be a special font. However, I was already aware of the technique. Since I have an eye for detail being an artist, the fake stuff stands out to me, and even has a negative effect because it's fake. But I can see how it works since most people wouldn't spot the difference. I've seen some that are very convincing and require a bit more scrutiny to determine it's not "real" handwriting.

[hdm]

Good morning, Steve

Thank you for your post. Handwritten direct mail has been used to great effect for fund-raising campaigns undertaken by charities.

[KristineS]

Welcome to the forum, hdm. London is one of the places I've always though would be a nice place to live. I'm an English history buff, so the UK is definitely on my list of places to visit.

[Patrysha]

Welcome to the forum...interesting business :-)